• Posted October 29, 2025

Self-Affirmations Effectively Boost Mood And Confidence, Review Finds

“I love myself unconditionally.”

“I am worthy of love, joy and happiness.”

“I am strong, capable and resilient.”

“I breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension.”

Self-affirmations might seem sappy, but they can they contribute to people’s happiness and well-being, according to a new evidence review.

Such affirmations provide a boost to people’s self-esteem and confidence, while also reducing negative emotions like anxiety and anger, researchers recently reported in the journal American Psychologist.

Moreover, the benefits of self-affirmations can last for days and even weeks, researchers found.

“Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” senior researcher Minhong (Maggie) Wang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said in a news release. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.”

Self-affirmation exercises work by reminding people of their inner strengths and act as a buffer against external threats and worries, researchers said in background notes.

For the review, researchers analyzed data from 129 published studies on self-affirmation exercises, involving nearly 17,800 people. Of the studies, 78 occurred in the United States.

Overall, self-affirmations were good for people’s well-being, self-perception and sense of self-worth, researchers said. These effects persisted among people, with an average follow-up time of nearly two weeks across the studies.

Self-affirmations were found to be most powerful among adults compared to teenagers. Likewise, Americans tended to benefit more from self-affirmations than Asians or Europeans.

“The findings advocate for integrating self-affirmation strategies into well-being programs, particularly in schools and universities,” Wang said.

“Educators and parents can use self-affirmation strategies to provide immediate psychological support to help students navigate challenges and build resilience in difficult situations,” Wang said. “These strategies can foster individual and social well-being as well as strengthen social connections within communities.”

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on self-affirmations.

SOURCE: American Psychological Association, news release, Oct. 27, 2025